NEWS

On Sunday 17th of August, nearly 300 students and parents attended the Chinese Immersion Day at Rewi Alley Chinese School in Christchurch. The Chinese Immersion Day was organized by New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers’ Association Canterbury, in cooperation with Rewi Alley Chinese School and Confucius Institute of Canterbury University.

17th of August was the first day of the International Language Week this year so the Chinese Immersion Day was a good start of the international language week. The event provided over twenty different Chinese language and culture activities for students from primary and secondary schools in Canterbury to participate. The culture activities were designed for students who have no prior learning of Chinese language while the language activities were designed for students who are currently learning Chinese language.

At two O’clock in the afternoon, all the attendants assembled in the school assembly hall for an official opening. We were very honored to have the presence of Chinese Consul General of Christchurch, Madam Tan Xiutian. We were also very fortunate to have the deputy chair of Wigram/Riccarton Community Board, the president of NZ China Friendship Society Canterbury Branch, the Education Director of Asia NZ Foundation to speak at this event. The sharing of their experiences of Chinese Language and culture has inspired the students to see the purpose of learning the language.

The guests, parents and students all enjoyed the day and gave congratulations on the success of the event. There is a strong demand for this event to be repeated in the future.